Deschutes Brewery - Black Butte Porter (2016)

In 2016, Deschutes' Black Butte Porter was available in 650mL bombers.. unfortunately it didn't sell well so they eventually discontinued it. Several months later, the beer returned to Manitoba in 12oz bottles, only to be discontinued here again only a few weeks ago. Reading the bottle of this Black Butte Porter, I thought the Best Enjoy By date was February 9, 2016.. but I remembered that date codes work differently in US.. so this wasn't as old as expected - the BEB date was actually September 2, 2016.. so only a year and a half ago rather than two years ago.

Stouts and porters seem to age well, so I'm not too scared about drinking Black Butte.

Appearance: Black Butte pours a thick, dark black body, and a light beige head on top - the head diminishes to a bit of foam that's mostly near the side of the glassware.

Aroma: This seems to be your typical porter, it's rich and roasty with notes of coffee, dark chocolate, a hint of dark fruits (plum), and a light earthy hop presence. So far, for the Best Enjoyed By date being a year and a half ago, still smells pretty fresh to me.

Taste: There's notes of caramel sweetness up front, mixed with a moderate amount of coffee, a light sourness, dark chocolate, a bit of dark fruitiness popping up here and there. Fairly light and smooth on the palate, but leaves a bit of a roasted coffee aftertaste for a while.

Overall Thoughts: I had a fairly recent bottle of Black Butte Porter right before it was discontinued again, this is near identical to what I remember. Solid porter, so I'm surprised to see it gone from Manitoba, again. If you can find some, get it before it's gone. 5.2% ABV / 30 IBU

Cody Lobreau

Welcome to BeerCrank.ca! I'm a bit obsessed about craft beer, especially Canadian craft beer so I mainly review Canadian beer but I love to try beer from all over the world as well. My goal is to help influence the casual beer drinker to go out and expand their beer palate one way or another. Feel free to send some feedback!
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